In the public service, what are the conditions for carrying forward vacation leave not taken because of parental and family responsibilities leave?

Verified 04 July 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Are you a civil servant or a contractor and have not been able to take all or part of your annual leave due to leave related to parental and family responsibilities (maternity leave, parental leave, family solidarity leave, etc.)? Vacation leave not taken may be carried forward under certain conditions. We present you the information to know according to your public service of belonging (State - FPE, territorial - FPT, hospital - FPH).

EPF

Annual leave must be taken between 1er January and December 31.

Leave not taken on 31 December may be carried over to the following year on exceptional authorization of the employer's administration or, under certain conditions, paid out of time savings account (CET).

However, when you have not been able to take all or part of your annual leave due to leave related to parental and family responsibilities, they are automatically carried over to a 15-month period.

Any untaken leave remaining due from the calendar year may be carried forward (including split days).

Absences related to parental and family responsibilities giving entitlement to carry-over of annual leave are as follows:

The annual leave that may be carried forward is leave earned before leave related to parental and family responsibilities and leave earned during parental and family leave.

Reminder

You do not acquire annual leave during unpaid leave to travel overseas or abroad for the adoption of one or more children.

For the vacation leave earned before For leave related to parental and family responsibilities, the 15-month period begins from the date of resumption of duties.

For the annual leave earned during For leave related to parental and family responsibilities, the 15-month period shall start, at the latest, at the end of the year for which the annual leave is due.

The 15-month period may be extended with the exceptional authorization of your Head of Department.

The 15-month deferral period is suspended as long as you have not received information from your employer administration on the number of days of vacation leave carried over and the date until which you can take it.

The administration will provide you with this information within one month of taking over your duties.

If you do not take the leave carried over in the allotted period, it is lost and does not give rise to any compensatory allowance, except in the case of permanent departure from the public service.

If you are absent for several consecutive years, leave not taken at the end of each 15-month carry-over period shall be lost.

When you leave the public service, for whatever reason (retirement, resignation, termination of contract, etc.) and have not been able to take all your annual leave before your departure due to service requirements, these leave give rise to a compensatory allowance.

The gross monthly remuneration taken into account for the calculation of the annual leave allowance is equal to the last remuneration paid during your last full month of effective performance of your duties.

This remuneration may take into account any changes in your statutory or indemnity situation that occurred between the last date of effective performance of your duties and the date of termination of the employment relationship.

It includes index salary, residence allowance, family salary supplement (FTS) and bonuses and allowances.

However, the following remuneration elements are not taken into account:

  • Exceptional or occasional payments, in particular related to the individual or collective assessment of how to serve
  • Reimbursement of expenses
  • Participation in the financing of supplementary social protection guarantees
  • Exceptional or occasional payments related to allowances for first-time assignments, mobility and restructuring and any other similar allowances
  • Overseas assignment increases and indexing, where payment is interrupted before the end of the employment relationship
  • Foreign residence allowance where payment is interrupted before the end of the employment relationship
  • Allowances paid for ancillary activity and other allowances not directly related to employment
  • Exceptional or occasional payments of premiums and allowances corresponding to a single chargeable event
  • Allowances related to the organization of work and actual exceeding of the work cycle.

Compensation for one day of untaken annual leave shall be calculated as follows:

(Gross monthly compensation x 12) / 250

The number 250 is the average number of working days in a year.

The annual leave allowance is subject to the same contributions as your remuneration.

FPT

Annual leave must be taken between 1er January and December 31.

Leave not taken on 31 December may be carried over to the following year on exceptional authorization of the employer's administration or, under certain conditions, paid out of time savings account (CET).

However, when you have not been able to take all or part of your annual leave due to leave related to parental and family responsibilities, they are automatically carried over to a 15-month period.

Any untaken leave remaining due from the calendar year may be carried forward (including split days).

Absences related to parental and family responsibilities giving entitlement to carry-over of annual leave are as follows:

The annual leave that may be carried forward is leave earned before leave related to parental and family responsibilities and leave earned during parental and family leave.

Reminder

You do not acquire annual leave during unpaid leave to travel overseas or abroad for the adoption of one or more children.

For the vacation leave earned before For leave related to parental and family responsibilities, the 15-month period begins from the date of resumption of duties.

For the annual leave earned during For leave related to parental and family responsibilities, the 15-month period shall start, at the latest, at the end of the year for which the annual leave is due.

The 15-month period may be extended with the exceptional authorization of your Head of Department.

The 15-month deferral period is suspended as long as you have not received information from your employer administration on the number of days of vacation leave carried over and the date until which you can take it.

The administration will provide you with this information within one month of taking over your duties.

If you do not take the leave carried over in the allotted period, it is lost and does not give rise to any compensatory allowance, except in the case of permanent departure from the public service.

If you are absent for several consecutive years, leave not taken at the end of each 15-month carry-over period shall be lost.

When you leave the public service, for whatever reason (retirement, resignation, termination of contract, etc.) and have not been able to take all your annual leave before your departure due to service requirements, these leave give rise to a compensatory allowance.

The gross monthly remuneration taken into account for the calculation of the annual leave allowance is equal to the last remuneration paid during your last full month of effective performance of your duties.

This remuneration may take into account any changes in your statutory or indemnity situation that occurred between the last date of effective performance of your duties and the date of termination of the employment relationship.

It includes index salary, residence allowance, family salary supplement (FTS) and bonuses and allowances.

However, the following remuneration elements are not taken into account:

  • Exceptional or occasional payments, in particular related to the individual or collective assessment of how to serve
  • Reimbursement of expenses
  • Participation in the financing of supplementary social protection guarantees
  • Exceptional or occasional payments related to allowances for first-time assignments, mobility and restructuring and any other similar allowances
  • Allowances paid for ancillary activity and other allowances not directly related to employment
  • Exceptional or occasional payments of premiums and allowances corresponding to a single chargeable event
  • Allowances related to the organization of work and actual exceeding of the work cycle.

Compensation for one day of untaken annual leave shall be calculated as follows:

(Gross monthly compensation x 12) / 250

The number 250 is the average number of working days in a year.

The annual leave allowance is subject to the same contributions as your remuneration.

FPH

Annual leave must be taken between 1er January and December 31.

Leave not taken on 31 December may be carried over to the following year on exceptional authorization of the employer's administration or, under certain conditions, paid out of time savings account (CET).

However, when you have not been able to take all or part of your annual leave due to leave related to parental and family responsibilities, they are automatically carried over to a 15-month period.

Any untaken leave remaining due from the calendar year may be carried forward (including split days).

Absences related to parental and family responsibilities giving entitlement to carry-over of annual leave are as follows:

The annual leave that may be carried forward is leave earned before leave related to parental and family responsibilities and leave earned during parental and family leave.

Reminder

You do not acquire annual leave during unpaid leave to travel overseas or abroad for the adoption of one or more children.

For the vacation leave earned before For leave related to parental and family responsibilities, the 15-month period begins from the date of resumption of duties.

For the annual leave earned during For leave related to parental and family responsibilities, the 15-month period shall start, at the latest, at the end of the year for which the annual leave is due.

The 15-month period may be extended with the exceptional authorization of your Head of Department.

The 15-month deferral period is suspended as long as you have not received information from your employer administration on the number of days of vacation leave carried over and the date until which you can take it.

The administration will provide you with this information within one month of taking over your duties.

If you do not take the leave carried over in the allotted period, it is lost and does not give rise to any compensatory allowance, except in the case of permanent departure from the public service.

If you are absent for several consecutive years, leave not taken at the end of each 15-month carry-over period shall be lost.

When you leave the public service, for whatever reason (retirement, resignation, termination of contract, etc.) and have not been able to take all your annual leave before your departure due to service requirements, these leave give rise to a compensatory allowance.

The gross monthly remuneration taken into account for the calculation of the annual leave allowance is equal to the last remuneration paid during your last full month of effective performance of your duties.

This remuneration may take into account any changes in your statutory or indemnity situation that occurred between the last date of effective performance of your duties and the date of termination of the employment relationship.

It includes index salary, residence allowance, family salary supplement (FTS) and bonuses and allowances.

However, the following remuneration elements are not taken into account:

  • Exceptional or occasional payments, in particular related to the individual or collective assessment of how to serve
  • Reimbursement of expenses
  • Participation in the financing of supplementary social protection guarantees
  • Exceptional or occasional payments related to allowances for first-time assignments, mobility and reorganization and any other similar allowances
  • Overseas assignment increases and indexing, where payment is interrupted before the end of the employment relationship
  • Allowances paid for ancillary activity and other allowances not directly related to employment
  • Exceptional or occasional payments of premiums and allowances corresponding to a single chargeable event
  • Allowances related to the organization of work and actual exceeding of the work cycle.

Compensation for one day of untaken annual leave shall be calculated as follows:

(Gross monthly compensation x 12) / 250

The number 250 is the average number of working days in a year.

The annual leave allowance is subject to the same contributions as your remuneration.

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